United States Army Rangers Veterans of World War II Congressional Gold Medal Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. HILL. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, I rise, too, in support of S. 1872, the United States Army Rangers Veterans of World War II Congressional Gold Medal Act. I thank my friend from Illinois for managing the time today and also thank Senators Ernst and Duckworth for their work on the Senate side in originating this bill and Representatives here in the House, Crow, Miller-Meeks, and Waltz for their work on the House companion, H.R. 3577.

Madam Speaker, to become an Army Ranger is a distinct honor. Those who have the privilege of donning the tan beret are proven warriors whose commitment to our freedom knows no bounds. These warriors embody the Ranger motto: ``Rangers Lead the Way.''

The 75th Ranger regiment is so well-known that it is hard to believe that the United States had no official units organized to carry out such specialized missions prior to World War II.

But when America entered the war, conventional wisdom changed, and it became clear that special operation units were essential to an Allied victory.

The first Rangers were trailblazers, whose work influenced our Nation's approach to special operations across all branches of the military. On May 26, 1942, Brigadier General Lucian Truscott, the U.S. Army liaison with the British Combined Operations headquarters, proposed to Army Chief of Staff General George C. Marshall that ``we undertake immediately the organization of an American unit along British Commando lines.''

In short order, a cable was sent from the War Department to Major General Russell P. Hartle, the commander of U.S. Army forces in Northern Ireland, to authorize the activation of the first-ever Ranger unit.

The idea was to disseminate volunteer units with the British Commandos to become combat tested in special operation warfare and eventually to return to their original American units and share their newfound combat knowledge.

It was Truscott who bestowed the title, ``Rangers'' on these brave soldiers. Truscott said: ``I selected `Rangers' because few words have a more glamorous connotation in American military history.

``It was therefore fitting that the organization destined to be the first of American ground forces to battle Germans on the European Continent in World War II should be called Rangers--in compliment to those in American history who exemplified such high standards of individual courage, initiative, determination, and ruggedness, fighting ability and achievement.''

In just a few weeks after Truscott's original proposal, the First Ranger Infantry Battalion was activated 19 June 1942. Five more Ranger battalions followed, as well as a provisional Army National Guard unit known as the 29th Ranger Battalion.

The newly formed Ranger battalions had an immediate impact on the Allied war effort. The first battalion, then led by Major William O. Darby, was an integral part of the North Africa campaign, so much so that the battalion was awarded battalion honors for its actions in Tunisia spearheading Operation Torch.

Bill Darby was a hero in my home State of Arkansas. Brigadier General Bill Darby was born and buried in Fort Smith, Arkansas. And Darby, for all his leadership, proudly represented that Ranger uniform and Ranger leadership. He was killed in action in Italy at age 34 in April 1945.

Darby and those early Ranger units were able to overtake enemy troops where the Axis forces held every advantage, including that of just sheer numbers. Our debt can never be repaid to those who have chosen to wear the cloth of this Nation. But today, we can honor this very special group of volunteer soldiers, those very first Ranger battalions who, during the Second World War, set the tone for the modern Ranger regiments.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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Mr. HILL. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Davidson), a distinguished member of the 75th Ranger Regiment.

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Mr. HILL. Madam Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentleman from Ohio.

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Mr. HILL. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I urge that our friends across the aisle and on this side of the aisle support this important bill to recognize those few Army Rangers who are still living and recognize the work of the establishment of the Ranger Corps in our Nation.

Madam Speaker, I am so grateful that Warren Davidson was here today. Because of Warren's work on the House Committee on Financial Services and in this body, truly he is the embodiment of ``Rangers Lead the Way.'' His reflection on the formation of the regiments makes us all think back to that historic anniversary of D-day and President Reagan's speech at Pointe du Hoc when he paid tribute to those Rangers, ``the boys of Pointe du Hoc.''

Madam Speaker, there were, at that time, at the 40th anniversary, a whole row of Rangers, still living at Pointe du Hoc, who sat in front of President Reagan to hear him pay tribute to these brave men who scaled the cliffs at Normandy. Now, so many years later, we have lost so many more.

Madam Speaker, I thank my friends in the Senate for this bill and for my friends in the House who worked on it. I urge all of the House to vote unanimously to support this Gold Medal to recognize the Greatest Generation of Army Rangers.

Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

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